Royal Family: The young English king who just wouldn't stop eating and died
A son of William the Conqueror died unceremoniously after devouring a "surfeit" of food.
A British King once died while attempting to quell a rebellion in Normandy after eating an excessive amount of food.
King Henry I of England, the fourth son of the legendary William the Conqueror, was born in 1068, just two years following his father's conquest.
He spent much of his life out of favour, having received no throne or land when William died in 1087, with most of the King's inheritance going to his elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus.
He didn't become King until William died in 1100 and wasn't recognised as legitimate until he fought off an invasion from Robert in 1101, who attempted to seize the country from Normandy.
And when he did eventually settle comfortably on the English throne, he experienced new troubles, this time in the form of an eel-like fish.
Medieval historians have discovered records created by chroniclers, who documented the King's daily life, which state he died by lamprey in the 12th century.
According to Nature Scotland, lampreys are an ancient order of vertebrates that resemble eels and have round, sucker-like mouths lined with pointed teeth.
They have strong cartilage instead of bone and exist in several different species across the country, including in rivers, brooks and the sea.
The fish reportedly had a beef-like taste, and despite being harmless, plentiful, and popular several hundred years ago, they ultimately killed Henry I.
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Speaking to Salon, Dr Judith Green, a Professor of Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, explained his last meal was a feast of lampreys.
The King died in 1135 following a campaign across Normandy, during which he was seemingly healthy.
He fell ill during a brief pause to hunt in Lyons-la-Forêt, where Henry of Huntingdon chronicled that he sat down for a "surfeit" (excessive amount) of lampreys one day.
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Dr Green explained that the chronicler's account explained he had done so against a doctor's advice, and his condition worsened over the following week.
He died in early December, aged either 66 or 67, leaving behind few records of his diet beyond the deadly dalliance with lampreys.
Historians have long argued about whether the account from Henry of Huntingdon, with others suspecting the popularity of fish during the Middle Ages suggests coincidence, not causation.
